Everybody loves Christmas, even the responsibilities that come with it. But while most may only have to tackle ticking everything off the shopping list and organising a family dinner – HR Managers have a little more on their plate. An A-Z’s worth, even. See our Christmas planner above for inspiration on (almost) everything you need to consider.

Starting from the top, alcohol introduces the list. As a HR Manager, it’s your responsibility to decide exactly what tipple is going to go down best. Moving on to more serious considerations, business continuity is also important. The scattered time off between Christmas and New Year can often slow businesses down, so it’s good to get ahead where possible to make January a breeze.

Christmas cards, office dress code and employee bonuses also make the list… but maybe don’t tackle them in that order. If your fiscal year end is December, it’s time to get those finances complete, including accounting for any gifts for employees you might want to hand out at Christmas…

…And Luxury Christmas Hampers are a great way to gift customers, clients and colleagues over the seasonal period – perfectly professional and ideally indulgent. And once you’ve done that? It’s time to sort invoices and payments, and decide whether you want to take part in Christmas Jumper day.

Part of being a HR Manager is catering to everybody’s needs. So whether that’s Kwanzaa or any other celebration being observed around December, it’s important to acknowledge all beliefs of your workforce. Feeling a little snowed under already? It’s time to make a Christmas list to live by, and hope it’s done by late December. And not forgetting music! Is it really Christmas time without Nat King Cole?

Making it clear when you re-open in the New Year and any alternative office opening times is Christmas list 101 – and especially helpful for new starters. Next up, though low down on our A-Z, the Christmas party should be pretty high on your Christmas list! Whether you’re looking for external or office Christmas party ideas – it’s also good to know about any tax exemptions.

Quarterly reviews are also great to book in at this time of year, and it’s important to let any partners know about your gifting preferences before they send them out. Hampers anyone? It wouldn’t be a Christmas list without it, but if you are doing secret Santa, set some ground rules! And when it comes to time off, it’s time to get the calendar out and work out who can be off when.

Utilisation. If you have less staff in the office at this time of year, but still need to get the same amount of work complete, it’s time to utilise your team! Especially with a workforce growing with excitement, that may also be affected by any weather restrictions. For those staff who are in the office, making it a little festive with Xmas celebrations is a great way to keep spirits up as they count down to Christmas.

And if you’re lucky enough to have things dying down at this time of year, use the time for a great yearly clean up! If you don’t need it, chuck it. And lastly, it’s time to rest. Once you’ve ordered your hampers, sent out your cards, organised the party and crossed off your Christmas list, the only thing left to do is go home and relax.

Merry Christmas from Regency Hampers!